Ranch Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

     There are a ton of excuses for not posting lately.  The one I will use this time is.... Competition Cheerleading season is in full force.  I am coaching a squad of 18 girls, ages 8-14.  Pre-teen and teenage angst have consumed my life! lol  As if taking care of my men at home isn't time consuming enough; but Tony, being the amazing man he is, steps in where ever I need and is constantly there for me.  I couldn't ask for a better partner.

Anyway,  Ranch Pork Chops in the Crock Pot... I searched and searched.  I just CANNOT figure out where I found this recipe, so I'm sorry.  I can't link it to the wonderful responsible party who created this amazing meal.  My men gobbled it up so quickly and absolutely raved about this simple dinner!  Thank goodness I accidentally prepared a double batch, we had one pork chop for left overs.

Ranch Pork Chops

5 Pork Chops
Dry Ranch Seasoning Packet (2 oz)
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup

Combine all ingredients. (I know, three ingredients... this is hard! lol)  Mix well.  Freeze now, if you want to plan ahead to just save this for a quick meal and de-thaw when the time comes.  Cook in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.  Serve over rice and have some steamed veggies on the side.

Yep, that's it!  Like I said... SIMPLE!  I can't wait to make it again sometime.  It was so yummy, my teenage boy was willing to sit at the table for 2 whole helpings!!!

Homemade Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softener

As I had said in one of my first blogs, I’m going green!  As I am trying the new fangled ideas, I thought I would pass my personal successes on to you all.  So the very first homemade recipe I am passing on is for Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener.

I have used All Free and Clear and many other scent-free, dye-free liquid detergents for a very long time.  My skin was irritated by regular detergents.  But the main reason I started using these scent-free, dye-free detergents about ten years ago was for my son.  He was irritated… not only his skin, but his mannerisms.  Most people won’t believe this, but I stand by it!  Scents rule your mood. 

He was having a lot of trouble in school during his kindergarten through second grades.  I don’t mean he wasn’t keeping up, I mean his behavior was HORRIBLE!  We are talking TSS’s (wrap-arounds) in school, behavioral specialists, mobile therapists, psychologists.  Letters of all sorts were thrown around – ADD, ADHD, ODD, and a ton others.  I fought tooth and nail to prove to the school that my child did not need medicated.  There was nothing wrong with him!  No one believed me. 

Then, a family member mentioned to me that her son had the same problems.  Her solution was changing to scent-free, dye-free detergent and trial an error with fabric softeners.  She said that smells would cause him to have attention problems.  So I listened and through trial and error, as suggested, I found my way to All Free and Clear and Snuggle Fabric Softener.  (By the way, my son has never needed to be medicated and is an A-B student!  He is still the class clown, but that what makes him my son!)

When I decided to go green, laundry detergent and fabric softener recipes were the first thing that popped up, and I had heard of people having success.  But I was VERY leery about how my son would respond to this.  And I cannot express how WONDERFULLY this worked!!!!  If anything, my son was even better for the change.

As far as the Laundry Detergent, I chose powdered, honestly ,because I’m lazy and didn’t feel like melting and stirring and buying a 5 gallon bucket.  Powdered detergent was the most convenient to test run on.  And it’s safe for HE washers.  It was amazing!  No, there are not a lot of suds.  But suds don’t mean clean.  I’m serious.  They don’t! 

And the Fabric Softener… wow!  I was amazed!  Vinegar – that’s it!  No, you do not walk around smelling like Summer’s Eve.  But your clothes are SOFT!!! I’ve never had my clothes, especially towels and jeans, feel as soft as vinegar makes them feel.  I do add essential oil in it (5 drops of lavender and 4 drops of tea tree) because they make me feel better.  My clothes don’t even smell like the essential oils.  Really.  But lavender and tea tree have antibacterial properties.  And it makes me feel better that it isn’t just vinegar.

I made the detergent recipe mainly from DIY Natural , who I give credit to for all the awesome pictures.  But honestly, I researched forever and mixed and matched a bunch of ideas to make sure it was the way I really wanted it.  I used a bar of Fels-Naptha in my recipe and really liked it.  But my tip to everyone is to make sure your soap is cold!  It grates better that way.

Here are my recipes below.  Try them and let me know how much YOU love them!

Powder Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

·         1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)

·         1 cup of borax

·         1 cup of washing soda

 

 

1.  Shave 1 bar of soap.

 

2.  My shaved bar looked like this:

 

3.  Add 1 cup of borax:

 

4.  Add 1 cup of washing soda:

 

5.  Stir thoroughly:

 

6.  Continue stirring thoroughly (totaling 5 minutes):

 

7.  Stirring is complete when you have a powder like this:

 

8.  2 batches of this recipe fit perfectly into a 32 ounce yogurt container:

**Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads). 1 tablespoon of detergent per load (you can also use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads)

**Pre-treat with ½ cup of baking soda and 5 drops of preferred essential oils.

 

Fabric Softener

·         1 gallon white vinegar

·         20-30 drops of essential oil

Just shake well before each use and it’s ready for the rinse cycle. For small or average loads add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle, for larger loads add about 1 cup to the rinse cycle.

 

Essential Oils Ideas:  Sweet orange and lemon brightens and fights stains, lavender offers a calming effect, and peppermint can help fight tough odors on clothing.

 

Choose Joy – Week Two

As you all know, I am doing an online bible study through womensbiblecafe.com about the book Choose Joy by Kay Warren.  (Please note that I am quite a bit behind, but better late than never, right?)  This week Marie Wikle, who runs the online bible study, was explaining that you need to literally choose joy every day of your life, even in the depths of sorrow.  She suggested a few things to do to help you remember how to be joyous.  I would like to share them with you and how my day yesterday reaffirmed this truth.

Do one thing a day for someone else.  This makes you feel good in general.  It really does!  Don’t do it to impress others, or so you can brag about it.  I have a habit of bragging, and I’m working on changing that.  Hey, I’m a work in progress.  Aren’t we all?

Do something you enjoy daily.  This doesn’t need to require money.  Anything that makes you happy, even if it is just to create something with your hands or go for a walk and truly take a moment to enjoy the scenery.

Count your blessings everyday!  Appreciate what is in your life.  Whether it was given to you, or you worked hard to earn it yourself.  Don’t focus on the material things, but the things that truly make you… you.

Find the good side in everything.  Be the glass half full person.  No matter what situation you are in, there is something good that can come out of it.  Even if the only thing you can think of at the time is that you are still alive to live another day.

Having listed these very important requirements yesterday was nothing amazing to the average eye, but to me it was wonderful.  I will list these great and amazing things as I tell my day as follows:

1.  I WOKE UP!  Yes!  And better yet, I was in good enough health to crawl my lazy, cranky butt out of bed and WALK!

2.  I HAVE FRIENDS!  After getting ready for my day, my BFF picked me up and we had some girl time on our way to the Cochranton Youth Football game.  She is extremely grumpy in the morning!  She really couldn’t tolerate my dancing and singing first thing in the morning.  And she even yelled at the poor McDonalds girl, just for smiling! (She obviously did not take the time to find the joy in the ability to get out of bed this morning.  Tisk! Tisk!)

3.  I AM A MENTOR!  I coached a group of cheerleaders at their first football game of the season.  They did great!  I am always so proud of them.  The best and most joyous part: walking onto a crowded field in the morning, when the fog is lifting, carrying my coffee, rushed because as usual we are running late, and suddenly I was stopped by having my coffee almost knocked out of my hand by a nervous cheerleader, in her fresh new uniform, grabbing on to me to give me a huge hug and smile and say good morning.  It is amazing the confidence these young girls learn just by spending a couple of hours a week cheering, but that is another post.  I digress.  Whether we lost the games or not, it is of no consequence.  The sportsmanship and the good old fashioned football were there.  That’s a great morning!

4.  I HELPED A STRANGER!  As we were leaving the football game, with two tiny cheerleaders in the van with us, we came upon a car being pushed down the road by some teenage girls.  BFF blocked traffic well in her van, keeping the cheerleaders safe inside with her, and I jumped out and ran up and pushed with them.  There was a mother steering and a car seat sized child waving out the back window.  No names were exchanged and as soon as they were safely drifting down a driveway, I was back in the van.  I hope everything turned out well for them.  But I do note:  there was a line behind the BFF of other football families, I’m sure.  No one got out!  Not one man pulled over to help a bunch of girls out.  What is the world coming to?  This really hurt my heart.  But what counts is that BFF and I DID help and it gave me joy.

5.  MUSIC!  We cranked up the radio and introduced the girls to our tradition… singing (yelling and in general rocking out) to Meat Loaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light and many other absolutely great songs.  Parents were told how fun we were and asked if riding home with us after every game was possible and laughing and giggling abounded.  It felt really great to be the cool, old person.  Lol.  I just wish my son thought the same thing!

6.  I HAVE A MAN WHO LOVES ME!  Although I don’t often give him enough credit, and I am really, really hard on him, and sometimes we are riding an emotional rollercoaster, my fiancé is a great guy.  Because he loves me so much (or else because he can’t stand my wining that much), he rubbed my poor sore knees, which I reinjured while being a Good Samaritan pushing that car.  He is always so kind and giving.  It’s the little things, behind closed doors, that make me love him more and more.

7.  I HAVE AN AMAZING SON!  The worst part of my day was that my son, being the teenager he is, was having some drama that he didn’t want to talk about (apparently, I’m not allowed to pry) and had more enjoyment hiding in his room than spending time with old mom.  But we have to find the good side, right?  I have a son.  I have a son that loves me.  I have a son that allows me to still kiss him goodnight.  I have a son that will ask for food at ten o’clock at night and dance around in front of you until you concede to feeding his monstrous appetite.  He is my joy.  No matter what mood he is in.  No matter what attitude, drama, or chaos he may have or cause me, he is my son, my joy, my purpose and my life.  Who could be luckier?

I think we can all count that as a joyous day.  I found my joy yesterday and shared it with you.  I have already found multiple reasons to thank God for the joys in my life today.  Now, go find yours!

Mini Loofah

I just made my first crocheted mini loofah!!  I’m so excited!  I found a pattern online for a loofah ball on befriendmantic’s blog o’ crafts.  I made it with 100% Natural Hemp cording.  I ran out of yarn/cord before I got the last row done, but it makes a cute little mini loofah, which I am SO proud of! 

 

I missed crocheting very much and hadn’t made time to do it in probably four or five years!  This was so easy.  Go ahead... try it!

 

Materials:

100% Natural Hemp Yarn (Again, all I could find was cord, but it worked pretty well!)

Size I9 (5.5mm) crochet hook

 

Abbreviations:

st: stitch     ch: chain     sl st: slip stitch     dc: double crochet

 

Instructions:

ch 4, form a ring by joining with a sl st in first st

ch 40

sl st into center of ring (this forms the loop for hanging the loofah)

R1: ch2, dc 40 into center of ring, join with sl st (40 st)

R2: ch2, dc 3 in each st around, join with sl st (120 st)

R3: ch2, dc 3 in each st around, join with sl st (360 st)

R4: ch2, dc 3 in each st around, join with sl st (1080 st)

Bind off. Weave in ends.

 

Wasn’t it so simple?!?!? I am so making more!  But first, I’m going to try this out and see how it works for me.  I’ll let you know.

 

What have you made lately that is simple, but you very much enjoyed the creation process?

Choosing Joy Bible Study Week One Done!

Well, I’ve read and done the week one assignments.  I really like this book!  Kay Warren gives a whole new spin on Jesus and his ultimate “coolness” factor.

It’s a pretty awesome idea.  She basically explains that Jesus was a cool, funny guy.  He was a man of joy, as we should be joyous, too.  I like the way Kay writes.  She is very raw and edgy, which is unusual for this kind of book.  I’m deciding to tell everyone that "Y’all should go get a copy!"

Crazy thing is, I’m still getting those “kick in the face” moments, too.  I am definitely being pushed to make my life happier.  I’m doing my best to stay on track.  I promise.

With that being said…. I’m behind on my week two assignments! Yikes! So, I’ll leave you with this…

“Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” – Kay Warren

Step 1 – Reevaluate my priorities… Well at least think about them, identify them, and organize them. Part 2

Ok, seriously.  My first priority is to find a way to make more money! (Surprise, surprise, right?)  Well, that is easily fixed.  I reinstated my cosmetology license, so second job, here we come!  But when will I have time?  Job #1 is a full time nine-to-fiver, cheerleading is at least two days a week (Well, three or four when competition season starts next month. Yay!), physical therapy at least one day, my son is a socialite that is never home and my fiancé is a gym-addicted muscle-head… so if I want to see them and live my life at all... when exactly am I supposed to fit in Job #2??? Hmmmmm

Edit first priority.  Find a way to lower the budget so I can APPRECIATE the things I’m realizing I can’t give up. Not if I want to keep me… well, me.  This led me on a crazy train!  Noting that all previously discussed pipe dreams are in check, let’s realistically figure out how to make me a better me in a time span we all want to deal with.

I went on a three day Google-fest and found an idea… I'M GOING GREEN!  Well, trying to.  It will save money by lowering the budget AND is better for you.  As of this moment, you can start calling me “Partially Green Kelly”.  I’m going to start making homemade or all natural “stuff” instead of buying chemically filled and overly priced items of all sorts!  I have found that essential oils and vinegar or baking soda will make just about anything clean, soft and wonderful in general.

I have found tons of homemade and all natural recipes for things.  I can wait to make them, show them to you and share with you how well they work or don’t work!

What kind of green things to you do in your life to save money, the planet and your general health?

Step 1 – Reevaluate my priorities… Well at least think about them, identify them, and organize them. Part 1

Truth be told I am as flighty as a hummingbird.  I go through ideas, hopes, dreams, goals and hobbies quickly.  Depending on the day of the week, I don’t even know what my goals are in life!  I know that I love my son.  I love my fiancé.  I love my family.  It brings me joy to work with kids.  I like my job, and coaching cheerleading and do hair and scrapbook and, most of all, be with friends, laugh and smile.   But where do I want to end up in life?  Literally….

My sister seems to have it all.  She has a lovely house, an amazing husband and son.  She moved away from us to further their careers.  I’d still like to kick her for that!  But she has an awesome job.  Although, she would probably say I’m exaggerating.  Still, I have fun telling people what she and her husband do for a living.  Face it – I’m a proud baby sister.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about running away to my sister’s house  I will get the most amazing dream job at an exclusive salon, making enough money that my family can live the life just like her.  My fiancé will find his dreams.  My son will fit in perfectly at the most exclusive school and have the coolest friends that any mother would love.  Have you started laughing yet?  I have.  I think they call this a “pipe dream.”  And the second flaw… I’m the baby.  I’ve always lived in my brother and sisters’ shadows.  I have become my own person, with my own friends and hobbies and hangouts.  Why would I give that up?  Oh, I remember now… Northwestern Pennsylvania in the winter!  I hate snow!

How about going to visit my awesome friend in Florida and just staying?  Beach, palm trees, sun and fun…  Now that is living!  I could find a job as a paralegal down there and ….  OH WAIT!  Do I really want my son to leave everything he knows – his grandparents, his school, his youth group, his friends?  This small town atmosphere is something that I am proud to have been brought up in and that is why I returned here to raise my child.

No matter how much I plan on running away, I will always end up quoting Dorothy.  “There is no place like home.”   How about, “Home is where the heart is.”  (There are a ton of quotes.)

So again, I was having coffee with Mom.  She had just bought a Powerball ticket.  We were talking about all the what-if’s.  It’s fun to dream.  And yet again, she was the reason for my moment of clarity – my next dream.  No.  My next goal!  Someday I’m going to buy a farm! Yes! A farm!  With horses, so my mom and I can ride together.

If I’m going to have a farm, it needs to be an awesome farm.  You can’t go halfway on an idea this big.  Horses are fun, but I was taught that everything on a farm has a purpose.  I’m going to have a farm like the one I lived on when I was a child.  Those were the memories.  I’m going to have chickens (and guinea hens, my mother added) and a garden and a beef cow and a pig and…. A GOAT!  The chickens will lay eggs. The garden will grow veggies.  Again, the chickens (and guinea hens, says mom) for eating the bugs in the garden.  The cow and pig for meat.  And the goat?  ‘Cause I like them! Oh, and goat milk.  We can have goat milk, and goat cheese, and goat soap and I’m sure there are a million reasons to have goats on a farm.  That’s it!  I’m going to have a GOAT farm!  Goats have very yummy milk and it’s great for lactose intolerant people.  That will be our money maker.

My mind was going a billion miles a minute.  I had so many ideas.  But the best part was I would still be where my son loves to be.  I would be where my fiancé loves to be.  I would be close to my parents.  I would be able to continue to coach.  I would have joy in my life if I just had a farm!